Work From the Inside

Women and work have been a center of discussion for decades. Recently Sheryl Sandberg, the Chief Operating Office at Facebook writes a book Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead (2013) on this very subject. She is ranked as one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the world. Recounting her previous experiences working in some of the world’s corporate powerhouses, including Google and the United States Department of the Treasury, in her book Sandberg encourages other women to seek paths to achieve their fullest potential in their workplace.

In forging our career path and making meaning of it, I can’t agree with Sheryl Sandberg more on how she describes the process as a jungle gym, not a ladder, which allows us for more creative, non-linear exploration of work.

I am lucky to have encountered many women who do just like that – striving for a higher level of achievement in work, and what’s more, a greater opportunity to express ourselves through artistic means. My last “Her Blog” series has highlighted the use of blogs and their influence on women in realm of art criticism, teaching, and museum directorship. I want to discover more stories on how women create opportunities for themselves, embrace uncertainty, and develop their own artistic career path.

Catherine Hannah, a comic artist living in Chicago, tells an incredible story of how she turns to making comics and the way it shapes her work.

Artistically inclined from a young age, the Michigan native says she always liked to draw and was greatly encouraged by her parents, teachers, and friends to continue pursue in the art. Cathy would make up little characters like "cool cat" and drew comic strips about her family's dogs.

As she got a little older she drew teenage soap operas influenced by Japanese manga artist Rumiko Takahashi and shojo comics (which geared toward young girls). In high school, she was already determined to be a comic artist even though she was not aware of the practicality of it. Making comics, as she puts it, was the only thing she did and enjoyed the challenge of getting better at.

Making comics also serves as an outlet for her emotions:

 “Making comics is my therapy. My work is all autobiographical so it is a huge relief to be able to express my emotions through storytelling. My graphic novel Winter Beard is all about me having a crush on my friend. I couldn't express those feelings to him directly because of various insecurities and hang-ups but when I make my comics I can be brutally honest with myself. The comics I have been making recently are very introspective and it is very helpful to be able to lay my emotions bare and see them exist outside myself on a page. Sometimes my memories seem unreal to me... 

“Moments that I can clearly remember seem so far away I wonder if they really happened. So when I draw that memory and tell that story it makes it more real to me and it’s easier to revisit painful experiences or makes joyful, happy times more permanent. When I draw comics I feel like I'm confiding in someone,” Cathy explains. 

Cathy’s comics intertwine intriguingly with her study in art history, past teaching experience and
gallery work.

“I think that the things that drew me to comics are the same things that drew me to art history. I'm such a sucker for a good story and art history is full of them...For my major we had to take fifteen credits in art history to graduate. I was drawn into how the composition would tell a story, how iconography and metaphor were used in art. I liked hearing stories about the artist's lives. I liked hearing the stories about powerful political families who patroned the arts. I'm all about context.”

While working as a tour guide in the historic Andrew Lowe House Museum (famous for his daughter-in-law Juliette Lowe founder of the Girl Scouts) in Savannah, Georgia, Cathy liked relating anecdotes about the family, like how they got this mirror or what they used this room for. “History, to me is just a lot of good, true stories!” At Glessner House and interned at the Roger Brown Study Collection after moving to Chicago, her passion in storytelling did not cease. “I focused mostly on decorative art, quilts in particular, because they are intimate objects of personal history full of stories.”

Comic making and storytelling go beyond just a therapeutic tool for Cathy. Cathy is now planning on completing a fourth issue of her current comic book series, Alas, which may debut this June at CAKE (Chicago Alternative Comics Expo). And she does not stop here. After CAKE, Cathy has a bigger plan for getting a self-publishing grant or through kickstarter to print a graphic novel version of Alas to press publishers for distributions.

On her future with comics, Cathy concludes, “I don't dream of getting movie deals or anything like that. I make comics because I have a story to tell.”

Working from the inside, Cathy makes comics capturing memories, and moments of life and imagination. As Sheryl Sandberg challenges us to reach our potentials through work, What would you if you weren't afraid?

To find out more about Cathy’s comic or buy it, visit www.sayrabbitrabbit.com.

USSSA and Engaging the Public During the Presidential Election

Recently, I was invited to document and join a group of artists who are planning an exhibition with a series of multi-city art rallies, which are anchored by a collective engagement with America's ongoing Presidential Election process. The USSSA project is curated by m. ryan noble a.k.a. imagici. noble’s previous efforts culminated in a collective effort called FLAG STOP. Dedicated to the ideals of democracy and self-expression, the USSSA project aims to finding a meeting space for these two endeavors, which are the primary agendas for all candidates involved.  

The collective's approach to art and its role in society was largely shaped by performance artists such as Linda Montano, Sharon Hayes, and Marina Abramović.  

For instance, Marina’s 2010 retrospective at the MoMA The Artist is Present could be understood as the act of stripping the to its core elements -- perception, (self) identification, and, hopefully, a subsequent understanding. To really look at a subject is to really try to understand it, and this has largely informed noble’s approach to art and its role in society.

Where does art fit in?  Just think about how Romney's weakness tends to be his lack of sensitivity about the working-class conditions in the United States or even Santorum's misguided and overtly misogynist advice about "friends" not letting friends "use pink balls." Video played a large role in how that information became public knowledge. In short, thank goodness that there are politically engaged individuals and groups out there that don't let these missteps go unnoticed. We can all agree that these are not the appropriate messages for the nation to obey.  

Much of this commentary is made possible by art and media -- YouTube, the news, and even performance art!  It's important to note that all of the aforementioned resources are highly collaborative mediums, which rely greatly upon its audience.  And this is where USSSA aims to be more far-reaching in carrying its message that there is much more to be spoken by the (potentially voting) public. San Francisco was the site of the first meeting, and Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago are under consideration for future rallies. The meetings are free and open to the public, too! 

As we move forward in the election process, and learn more about the current state of democracy, these artists will convene in an effort to create an additional layer -- a discussion in tandem with what’s been made public. In essence, there is plenty of room to document and express more private concerns that seep through political debates, publicity, and legislation. noble suggests that, more often than not, the common reaction to the often-frustratingly generalized language used during the presidential election season can lead many to feel a sense of invisibility or hopelessness. As noble states, it can make many of us perceive "social reality as an illness—pervasive, contagious and stigmatized."  

As mentioned, in order to successfully engage with a subject, perception must be followed by the act of identifying with it (in some form) and understanding it on our own terms. With that said, the artists aim to provide this dialogue and invite the public to make this happen.  The project includes several visual and performance artists, including Wafaa Bilal, Barbara Horiuchi, Sarah Sense, Christy Speakman, and Dread Scott.  For a complete list of participating artists, see the USSSA: Phase 1 fundraiser page.

Dread Scott.  Imagine a World Without America.  Screen print on canvas. 

If you'd like to support this project, please donate.  Each phase of this project depends upon active participation in the spirit of democracy!